Till your garden soil now while it is cold to expose insects , insect eggs and weed seeds to cold temperatures and drying winds .
A home gardener ’ s best defense against insects and weeds is to avoid them and
SYDNI INGRAM physically destroy weeds that harbor insects before they have a chance to take over your vegetable garden later in the year . By taking action now , you can save yourself a lot of time , trouble and expense later on this summer .
Start by removing winter weeds that have crept into the garden . This can be accomplished in a variety of ways ; rototilling , hoeing , hand-pulling , herbicides , or a combination of these . Tilling and herbicide applications will remove winter weeds and prevent warm season weed species from germinating later on . Till your garden soil now while it is cold to expose insects , insect eggs and weed seeds to cold temperatures and drying winds . When the soil is workable and not overly moist , get in your garden and till , till , till - to eliminate weeds and kill as many insects as you can .
Not everyone will use herbicides in their garden , and that is OK , but there are many different types available . Garden centers will often stock conventional pre-emergent herbicides that are safe to use in vegetable gardens . With a little more digging you may be able to find an organic herbicide that is made from corn gluten that can be used to prevent some weed emergence . Continuing to stay on top of your garden weed management will be the key to long term success .
If you think this sounds harsh , just think ahead to what these pests have planned for your vegetable plants . Weeds can drastically reduce yield and help insect pests overwinter . Soil insects like white grubs and wireworms are actually immature beetles that inhabit the
The key to reducing problems with insects in your garden is to keep a clean site . Making sure your garden site is weedfree now will help you be pest-free later . soil . They may not kill the plant outright , but they can and often do seriously stunt plant growth . The key to reducing problems with insects in your garden is to keep a clean site . Making sure your garden site is weed-free now will help you be pest-free later . Soil insects are there before you plant . If it ’ s host-free now , insects won ’ t be attracted to the site . And you ’ re less likely to have soil insects after you plant .
Once you start planting , you can avoid many of the early-season problems by using transplants instead of seeds . If you do want to seed , however , be sure to wait until the soil warms up so your vegetable seeds can sprout and grow fast . Aside from soil insects , most other insect problems happen after you plant .
Once your garden crops begin to sprout and come up , just monitor for insects and control them when necessary using a simple solution such as physical removal of pests . A lot of people don ’ t realize that if the numbers of pests are limited and you don ’ t have a huge garden , keeping a close watch and removing insects by hand may be the most efficient control method . Large insect outbreaks may require the use of an appropriate insecticide .
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